Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Spaghetti Squash Recipe with Spicy Sausage

Spaghetti squash tastes great with a little Spanish chorizo thrown into the mix.



When buying, choose a firm spaghetti squash that seems heavy for its size. Avoid squash with overly glossy or with greenish rinds--this may indicate the squash is not quite ripe enough. The stem of a spaghetti squash should be dry. Moisture around the stem may mean the squash is not fresh.

Ingredients:
1 SPAGHETTI SQUASH
4-5oz Spanish style CHORIZO (diced)
1 lg ONION (chopped)
4-5 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped)
1/2 cup PARMESAN or ASIAGO CHEESE (shredded)
1/2 cup CILANTRO (chopped)
2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
SALT and PEPPER, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice 1 spaghetti squash lengthwise into halves. Remove seeds and place cut side down in a baking pan. Pour a small amout of water in the pan to keep the squash from sticking. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. The squash is ready when a fork will slide easily into the flesh.
In a skillet, heat oil on medium high heat. Add onions and saute a few minutes (add red pepper flakes for heat, if desired). Add garlic and chorizo and continue sauteing. Add salt and pepper to taste. You don't need a lot of seasoning for this dish--the chorizo will add plenty of flavor. Take a fork and scrape the squash away fromm its skin and into the skillet; the squash will separate easily in spaghetti-like strands...which is why it's called what it's called. The squash is already cooked, so this is more about mixing the ingredients than cooking them. Add cilantro and cheese, mix well, and remove the skillet from the heat. It's a delicious dish, and hearty enough to make a terric main course. Serve with a salad and bread and you'll have a more than enough.
Enjoy!

And try this delicious vegetarian Mediterranean-Style Spaghetti Squash Recipe

mediterrean spaghetti squash

Sunday, November 17, 2013

BBQ Beans Recipe --Easy, Vegetarian Side Dish

A BBQ Bean Recipe with a spicy kick. This recipe is tangy and delicious and using a variety of beans gives this dish the illusion of grandeur, but it's just beans, yummy tasty beans.



BBQ Beans Recipe Ingredients:
4 15oz cans BEANS
1 large ONION (coarsely chopped)
1 GREEN PEPPER (coarsely chopped)
4 cloves of GARLIC (chopped)
1/3 cup light BROWN SUGAR
28oz can CRUSHED TOMATOES
14oz can BROTH
1/3 cup APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
1 Tbsp fresh ROSEMARY (minced)
1 tsp WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
1/2 tsp RED PEPPER FLAKES
1 1/2 tsp dried THYME
1/4 cup stone ground MUSTARD
1 Tbsp SOY SAUCE
1 BAY LEAF
3 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
SALT & PEPPER, to taste

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, green pepper and sauté about 2 minutes. Add garlic and continue sautéing on med heat until begins to brown (3-5 more minutes).
Add rosemary, thyme and red pepper flakes and stir 1 minute.
Add tomatoes, prepared mustard, brown sugar, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, stock, vinegar. Mix well. Bring to a bubble.
Stir in beans, bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer on low for 60 minutes, stirring as needed.
Serve as a side--or a main dish--if you want your main dish to be beans.
And that's it. Give this BBQ Beans recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appetit!

Wanna try another bean recipe? This Vegetarian Chili Recipe is awesome!
vegetarian chili

Bean Fun Facts:
-6 to 11 percent of a cooked bean’s weight is protein.
-Beans are one of the best things to eat for improving the stability of blood sugar levels in diabetics.
-Beans are low fat, contain no cholesterol or saturated fat, and are an excellent source of fiber, protein, calcium, iron,
folic acid and potassium.
-North Dakota produces more beans than any other state in the USA.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Hearty Beef Stew Recipe :Classic Meat and Potato Dish

This beef stew recipe is a classic meat and potato dish, a stick to your ribs dish that hits the spot on a cool day (or almost any day). Check out the recipe video and let Chef Buck show you how easy it is to make this hearty dish.



This will make you feel like a manly man if you're a man, and if you're a woman, you'll likely take ownership of your own feelings and not need a bowl of food to direct your inner emotional understanding.

Beef Stew Recipe Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs STEW BEEF
1/4 cup ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
1 GREEN BELL PEPPER (chopped)
1 15oz can DICED TOMATOES
2 lg CARROTS (chopped)
2 POTATOES (chopped)
1 lg ONION (sliced)
3-4 cloves GARLIC (sliced)
1 14oz can BROTH (chicken or beef)
CELERY? whatever
3 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
1 Tbsp CORIANDER
1 tsp CUMIN
1 BAY LEAF
(0ptional) 1 tsp CHILI POWDER
1 Tbsp BUTTER
SALT and PEPPER, to taste

Chop up your veggies, dude.
In a bowl, season your stew beef with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup flour and toss the meat until coated.
In a large pot, heat oil on medium high heat and add beef. Sear beef and turn to cook each side. Remove beef from pot and add onions and butter. Melt butter and then add garlic and bell pepper. Saute onions, garlic, and pepper 8-10 minutes. Add cumin and coriander (add chili powder if desired, or mustard powder, cayene pepper, etc.--I tend to go light on the seasonings for a simple flavor). Return meat to the pot and add 1 can of diced tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes and then add 1 can of broth (chicken or beef or veg--whatever's handy and floats your boat). Add carrots, celery, and a bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add potatoes. Your potatoes should be cut into big, ping-pong-ball sizes so they don't cook down to nothing. Add water as needed, just enough to cover your ingredients in the pot--don't add too much water--we want a nice, thick stew when we're done.
Cover, and continue to simmer for another 45-50 minutes.
Give it a taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve it with a thick slice of buttered bread and enjoy being the King or Queen of the castle.
And that's it, man. Give this hearty beef stew recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appetit!

And for another hearty stew, try this Spanish classic: Spicy Chorizo Sausage Stew

Sausage and Potato Stew Spicey Chorizo Sausage and Potato Stew

Friday, November 8, 2013

Biscotti Recipe - Giant-Sized for Dunking Pleasure

Wanna make some big-ass biscotti? This twice-baked biscuit is an awesome accompaniment to your favorite hot beverage.



Biscotti is a twice-baked sweet biscuit that goes great with a hot cup of coffee or tea--it's an easy way to start the day feeling like a real fancy-pants dude or dudette, especially if you're drinking your hot beverage out of a tiny cup with a tiny spoon to stir in your milk and a cloth napkin to wipe your very satisfied mouth. And there is zero butter or oil in this recipe, just a little rummy goodness.

Biscotti Recipe Ingredients:
1 cup ALMOND SLICES
2 cups all-purpose FLOUR
3/4 cup SUGAR
1 teaspoon BAKING POWDER
1/8 teaspoon SALT
3 large EGGS
2 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT
1 tsp ALMOND EXTRACT
2 Tbsp RUM

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Toast almond slices--watch them, it only takes about 2 minutes to toast, just want a few to begin turning.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt then mix and set aside.
Whisk the eggs, rum and extracts until blended well.
Add the dry ingredients, including nuts, and mix until combined.

Dough will be sticky at this point.
Scrape the dough out onto a parchment lined sheet pan.
Quickly shape with wooden spoon into a long flat loaf.

Bake about 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Remove from the oven and cool 10-15 minutes.
Lower oven heat to 300 degrees F.

Slice loaf into 1/2" to 1" wide slices.
Lay the slices cut side down on the baking sheet and bake another 15-20 minutes.
Turn the slices over and bake 15 minutes more, or until the cookies are a light golden brown.
Cool the biscotti on a rack.
Cool completely before storing.
And that's it, man. Serve them up with some coffee or hot tea and you'll feel
like a real fancy-pants Italian lawyer.
Give this big biscotti recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appetit!

And for another tasty breakfast treat, try this Deadly Scone Recipe.
maple pecan scones

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Quinoa Curry Recipe -- Thai Curry + Quinoa = Winner

A quinoa curry recipe with a Thai influence. This is a handy (and yummy) quinoa curry recipe to make when you're ready to clean all of the vegetable odds and ends from out of the fridge.



Quinoa Curry Recipe Ingredients:
1/2 cup QUINOA
1 15 oz can COCONUT MILK
1 lg ONION (chopped)
1 inch GINGER (thinly sliced)
2 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped)
1 Hot Pepper (chopped, as desired)
1 RED BELL PEPPER (sliced)
1/4 cup fresh BASIL (or CILANTRO) (chopped)
2 CARROTS (sliced)
1/2 small CAULIFLOWER (florets)
1 cup CABBAGE (chopped)
2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
1 tsp CORIANDER POWDER
1/2 tsp CUMIN
1/2 tsp CHILI POWDER
1/2 tsp TURMERIC
SALT and PEPPER, to taste
garnish with
finely chopped PEANUTS

In a small pot, bring 1/2 cup quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer 13-15 minutes until water is absorbed.
Remove from heat, fluff with fork, and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil on med high heat. Add onion, garlic, and hot pepper and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add Spices and mix well--and if you are a slave to the spice--don't be afraid to add a little more. Add can of coconut and stir thoroughly, mixing completely with the spices and onion. Let coconut milk heat, and then add ginger, carrot, cauliflower, and bell peppers. Continue stirring, adding salt and pepper to taste. Bring ingredients to a bubble, then reduce heat, cover, and allow skillet to simmer for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, uncover and add cabbage.
Add quinoa.
Stir and allow another minute or two until veggies are cooked to your liking. Add fresh basil or cilantro and remove from heat.
Garnish with ground peanuts and serve immediately.
...and that's a quinoa curry recipe with a little taste of Thai thrown in for good measure. Give the recipe a go and let me know what you think, and bon appetit!

Try a Spanish-style Quinoa Recipe.
spanish quinoa

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Cheese Biscuit Recipe w/ Jalapeno and Bacon

This Cheese Biscuits recipe makes four good-size biscuits, which is plenty for two folks for breakfast (maybe even 4 people, if one of them isn't me).



The recipe doubles quite easily if you want to make a bigger batch.

Ingredients for Cheese Biscuits:
1 cup ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
2 tsp BAKING POWDER
1/4 tsp SALT
1/2 cup MILK
1 JALAPENO pepper (chopped)
4 slices BACON (cooked crispy, crumbled)
1/2 cup CHEDDAR CHEESE (shredded)

First thing, fry up your bacon and set aside to cool--you'll want it crisp enough to crumble. Slice your jalapeno (seeds and all) and saute for a minute or two in the bacon grease--this'll flavor it up, start to cook it up, and knock off a little of the heat. Set pepper aside on a paper towel to drain.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well and then cut in the shortening. Add shredded cheese, sauted pepper, and crumbled bacon and mix. Slowly add milk, turning the mixture, getting the loose flour to come together into clumps.
Then, on a floured surface, turn the clumped dough out of the bowl and knead gently approx. a dozen times.
Form into biscuits--I just make a big pie shape and cut it into four pieces cause I'm lazy (or brilliant).
Brush biscuit tops with melted butter, if desired. I can take of leave this move--the biscuits will have plenty of color from the bacon, cheese, and jalapenos.
Place biscuits on an ungreased sheet and bake at 425 degrees F for 13-15 minutes.
And there you have it. Give this Cheese Biscuits recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appetit!

And if you need more bread in your life, let Mama Redbuck show you how to bake up a great Focaccia Recipe.
focaccia bread